Today's Pic: Michiko's disaster relief

The Japanese Imperial family continues to make well-publicized public appearances in the continuing trauma of the earthquake and tsunami that rocked the island nation earlier this year. Empress Michiko and the Emperor today visited a fishing village that is not very far outside of the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Coverage of the ongoing Japanese tragedy may have lessened in international news reports--I'm looking at you, American media outlets--but millions of Japanese people are still being deeply impacted every day.

Japan's Emperor Akihito (2nd L) and Empress Michiko listen to an explanation from the Governor of Ibaraki Prefecture Masaru Hashimoto (R) and a resident as they look around a damaged fishing port in Otsu town in Kitaibaraki, about 70 km (42 miles) south of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, April 22, 2011. The emperor and empress visited the port on Friday to give encouragement to the residents who suffered damages from the quake and tsunami. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (JAPAN - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT ROYALS)